The Florida Panthers can protect the crown.
The Panthers officially punched tickets to the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who defeated the Columbus Blue Jacket on Saturday.
This marks the Panthers’ sixth straight trip to the postseason.
As they try to become the ninth different team in NHL history and reach the Stanley Cup final for three consecutive seasons, the Panthers are also firing for consecutive championships.
Last season, they beat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games to win their first Cup.
Sam Reinhardt, who scored the series against Edmonton, picked up where he left off this season, scoring the Panthers with 78 points (37 goals, 41 assists). Second in score, Captain Alexander Barkov tallied 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists).
Also, the 50-point marks are Matthew Tkachuk (57) and Sam Bennett (50).
Recently appeared in his 750th career NHL game, Sergei Bobrovsky handled most of Florida’s net work, going 31-18-2 with a .906 save rate and five shutouts.
At the time of this writing, the Panthers rank 12th in the NHL for goals per game (3.05) and 9th in the fewest goals allowed per game (2.72). Looking at the underlying figures for 5 vs. 5, it ranks second in the percentage of Corsi (55.43) and the expected target (55.04).
There are still plenty to sort from a seed perspective, but planning a trip to the link is not too early.
Click here to sign up for pre-sale access to playoff tickets.
